


Insinuation

by jelazakazone



Series: Mordred fics [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Birthday Presents, Episode Tag, M/M, Multi, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-12
Updated: 2012-10-12
Packaged: 2017-11-16 04:20:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/535433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jelazakazone/pseuds/jelazakazone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>At the end of 5.01 Mordred shows up. Chaos ensues. (S5 spoilers from 5.01.)<br/><a href="http://jelazakazone.livejournal.com/628333.html">Find on LJ here</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Insinuation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dunderklumpen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dunderklumpen/gifts).



> In my headcanon, Gwen knows about (and is fine with) Arthur and Merlin’s relationship. Not sure if Gwen is involved with them or if the marriage is unconsummated. In any event, this is not about infidelity, in my mind, even though it takes place after they get married at the end of S4. Thanks to fleete for awesome cheerleading/beta’ing. This is for dunderklumpen ’s birthday. I hope you have a fabulous year. Thanks for allowing me to write Mordred for you:D

“If you’re going to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.”  
  
“Merlin, step aside.”  
  
“You know I never do as I’m told.”  
  
“Stop!”  
  
Shock, laced with arousal, shot through Merlin at the sound of the voice. He turned to see a young man in furs holding a large, dead bird. Blue eyes that had haunted his dreams for eight years stared back at him. Feelings bubbled up inside him: anger, fear, distrust, and attraction. And then he heard that voice.  
  
 _“Emrys. I know who you are.”_  
  
The voice felt cold, calculating, inside his head. He steeled himself, wondering if Mordred would tell Arthur that _he_ was a sorcerer. Thoughts tumbled together and careened around in his head; nothing was making sense. Anxiety rising, he brought himself under control physically, reaching out to his magic, preparing should it come to that.  
  
Without taking his eyes of Merlin, Mordred said to their captor--or was it their liberator?--“Shouldn’t we leave it to the Lady Morgana to decide their fate?”  
  
Merlin took in a deep breath, exhaling slowly with great control. Mordred’s attention turned to Arthur; he extended a hand to the king, helping him to his feet.  
  
“You don’t remember me, do you? You saved my life, once, many years ago.”  
  
Merlin’s breath caught at the look Mordred and Arthur exchanged.  
  
“Mordred!”  
  
Merlin’s heart raced as the young man turned and smiled at him before turning back to Arthur.  
  
“Hello, Arthur.”  
  
 _”Mordred, if you are going to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.”_  
  
Mordred deftly twisted Arthur’s hand behind his back, forcing him to turn abruptly, where Mordred was able to reach Arthur’s other hand and capture them together.  
  
“Now, gentlemen, let’s take a walk. I’ll tell you about the last eight years as we go, shall I?”  
  
Arthur did not resist. Merlin, feeling trapped, gave Arthur a pointed look, hoping that Arthur would recognize the desperate need to talk as soon as possible.  
  
“Mordred,” Merlin gasped, “if you are going to march us to Ismere, we must eat first. We haven’t had food for days and we won’t make it.”  
  
“Merlin, don’t be such a girl,” Arthur muttered, but his buckling knees betrayed his mouth.  
  
“Oh, dear,” Mordred said smoothly, “You really are hungry. Well, then, have some jerky.” He reached into his pouch and drew out two black lumps of preserved meat. “Hmm, guess I’ll just have to feed Arthur myself.” He smirked at the look of dismay on Merlin’s face.  
  
 _”Don’t worry, I’m not going to poison him. Yet._  
  
Merlin chewed on the meat, mouth growing drier with every bite. He smacked his lips, trying to moisten them. Mordred gave him an odd look.  
  
“Water? Wine?,” Merlin said hoarsely.  
  
“Ah, but where are my manners. Of course you are thirsty. Come to my campsite. We will seek refreshment there and continue on to Morgana from there. Ismere, you say?”  
  
Merlin swore his heart stopped. Mordred didn’t know where Morgana was? If the druid seer had shown him a scene from a future that was not certain, maybe this was the crucial moment.  
  
Arthur responded, “We have reports that she is in Ismere, yes, but what do you want with my sister?”  
  
“I have been looking for her for five years. When she was in Camelot, I knew where to find her, but when she left, I lost all contact with her.” He shivered. “We were so close. She was like a sister to me.” Tears welled in his eyes. “I have missed her and last year I petitioned the council to search for her.” He shrugged his shoulders.  
  
Arthur said firmly, “Morgana is evil, Mordred. She only intends harm. She is trying to take over Camelot, again. Three years ago, she did the same and many lives were lost. I will not let her do it again.”  
  
Mordred’s eyes widened. “Evil? Are we speaking of the same woman? She was gentle and kind when I met her, albeit a little frightened when she came to our camp.”  
  
Arthur laughed bitterly. “She is frightened of no man. She wields great power now and wants the destruction of Camelot if she cannot rule. Please, druids are protected people now, under my rule. Join with me and my knights. Help protect Camelot. We could use men like you.”  
  
Merlin almost fell over at Arthur’s words. Maybe he could stop hiding who he was too, if Arthur was actually encouraging a druid to join his ranks.  
  
Confused, Mordred looked to Merlin who nodded in assent.  
  
“Yes, what he says is true,” Merlin said hoarsely, barely believing that this could work. He’d not had good experiences in the past with trying to influence events in the future, but Mordred was clearly confused. Maybe it wasn’t too late after all. He smiled warmly, trying to reassure Mordred.  
  
Mordred dropped Arthur’s hands, freeing him. “But. I. That’s not what she told me.”  
  
“Mordred,” Merlin continued gently, “Uther died after Morgana left. After you lost contact with her. When Arthur became king, he declared he would protect the druids. You are safe with us.”  
  
He saw the young man’s shoulders drop, tension flowing out of him. Tears flowed down Mordred cheeks. Merlin was still suspicious, but he held out his arms to welcome Mordred into his embrace. _Come._  
  
Mordred walked over to him. “I am free? No one will hunt me down, like a feral beast?”  
  
Merlin clapped his arms around Mordred, soothing him. “I promise. No harm will come to you while you are with us.” Merlin thought if he could keep his eye on Mordred, no harm would come to Arthur either.  
  
As Merlin moved to withdraw, he thought he felt resistance from Mordred, as though the younger man didn’t want to let go and he looked into blue eyes, searching. Mordred flushed, looked down, and stepped back. Merlin’s mouth went dry.  
  
“Well,” he said brusquely, “time for dinner. Uh, Mordred, want to come with me and collect some wood? Maybe we could eat that nice big bird? Arthur’s an expert at dressing game.”  
  
As the light waned, Mordred and Merlin walked through the verdant forest. Merlin tried to let the forest soothe him, to push his uneasiness down, determined not to make a hash of it this time. He could fix this whole destiny thing. Nothing was writ in stone until it was done.  
  
After the last few exciting days, Merlin was enjoying the peace and quiet. In fact, it was a little too quiet. Merlin stiffened.  
  
 _Mordred. What’s going on?_  
  
 _I don’t know. Nothing to do with me._  
  
Merlin’s heart beat like a battering ram against his chest. Fuck. Arthur was alone and didn’t even have a sword. Forgetting about Mordred for the moment, but not his hunger, he clutched the sticks to his chest and ran.  
  
He burst into the clearing, ready to protect Arthur, or free him, if need be.  
  
Arthur jerked, nearly dropping the bird he was dressing.  
  
“Merlin,” Arthur hissed, “what are you doing?”  
  
“Well,” he panted, “it was too quiet in the forest and I grew worried that you were in danger, so I came...”  
  
“You came... to rescue me?” Arthur threw back his head and laughed. “Oh right, you are going to protect me or die trying.”  
  
He looked at the bundle in Merlin’s hands. “Well, looks like you’ve got enough wood to start a fire. Let’s get it going and we can eat soon.” He chuckled. “I know you are starving, but the bird will taste a lot better once it’s cooked.”  
  
Mordred appeared in the clearing and Arthur said, “Excellent. We can have a real cookfire tonight.”  
  
A fleeting expression of dismay flitted across Mordred’s face, but quickly turned into a smile. “Ah, I’d hoped to cover more ground today, to get to Ismere, but a rest would probably do me good.” A breeze drifted through the clearing and Mordred wrapped his arms around himself, shivering a little.  
  
Arthur said, “Come. Help me build the fire. It will warm you up.”  
  
The two men knelt in the dirt, heads together, working to get the sticks burning. Their chatter and laughter irritated him, jealousy flaring in little prickles like wet wood grain. Merlin noticed Mordred giving Arthur a questioning look. Arthur put a hand on Mordred’s arm before nodding his permission, Mordred’s eyes flared.  
  
Merlin sucked in a breath. Arthur, the king, was allowing the use of magic. He yearned to knock Mordred aside and shake Arthur, to tell him he’d been saving his royal arse for 8 years with magic, but years of keeping secrets, along with a tinge of anger and jealousy held him back. He pursed his lips together, vowing to take Arthur aside later when Arthur could process the information in private.  
  
Shortly, a small healthy fire was roaring. Merlin stood back a little, reluctant to join in the cheer the other two men seemed to be sharing. He’d felt that cold wind too, and it deepened his unease. No matter that Mordred seemed to have a change of heart, he wasn’t going to fully trust it. Both Kilgharrah and the now-dead-seer had spoken of Mordred being Arthur’s downfall. It was hard to shake words and images from such sources.  
  
The smell of roasting bird finally lured Merlin to the company of Arthur and Mordred. Arthur had been in the middle of telling Mordred how he’d come to grant protection to the druids and Merlin felt his heart swell. It gladdened him, to see his king so noble and true.  
  
~~~~  
  
This far north, the air had turned sharp with cold even though they weren’t quite far enough for snow covered ground. That night, the three men huddled together on the ground for warmth. Arthur had insisted on being in the middle, feeling he could protect all of them best from that position. Then again, he had seen the looks Mordred and Arthur had been trading all night. Perhaps Arthur was hoping to _share body heat_ the same way they often done with knights. Merlin clenched his jaw, holding onto his jealousy.  
  
Mordred did not have a great kit, but he had some furs in his supplies that they covered themselves with. Merlin shivered as a sliver of wind knifed down his back where the fur failed to cover him. Restless, keyed up from the day’s events, Merlin shifted.  
  
“Merlin, would you settle down? I can’t fall asleep if you are wriggling like a restless weasel.”  
  
Caught with a sudden lusty urge, Merlin wrapped his arm around Arthur’s waist, pressing himself into Arthur’s back.  
  
“I’ll show you a restless weasel,” he whispered into Arthur’s ear, rocking his hips against the man’s arse.  
  
Arthur froze with surprise, then slowly turned over, to face Merlin.  
  
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?”  
  
Arthur reached over Merlin, bringing his body in close. Merlin felt Arthur’s back stiffen momentarily. Then Arthur was thrusting a leg between his own and Merlin rocked his hips against the hard muscle. Arthur leaned in for a kiss, starting gently, but Merlin was impatient and thrust his tongue between Arthur’s lips, seeking Arthur’s tongue.  
  
It was a good distraction from the cold night. Merlin sank into the pleasure of the kiss, allowing the sensation to flow through his body. His lips tingled. Soft warm lips on his, stubble scratching his face only deepened his arousal. He moaned and shifted, trying for more friction against Arthur’s leg. His cock was hard and heavy.  
  
A cold hand touched his nipple through his thin shirt and his pleasure spiked. He rocked more fiercely. Fingers plucked at his strings, freeing his cock and wrapped around it. Merlin moaned into Arthur’s mouth and thrust into that cold hand, warming it up, eager for his release.  
  
When release came, he sagged back, dazed, stars in his eyes. He looked up into two pairs of blue eyes and gasped.  
  
Mordred was looking back at him, over Arthur’s shoulder, with a gleam in his eye. Arthur was looking at him fondly, as always.  
  
Merlin could feel Arthur’s hard prick against his own leg and could only assume that Mordred was hard too.  
  
“You all right?” Arthur said to him, softly.  
  
Merlin nodded hesitantly.  
  
“Your shenanigans woke Mordred and aroused him. He’s been pressing into me all this time.”  
  
Mordred smirked at Arthur’s words. Merlin would not let jealousy get a hold of him.  
  
“Ok, then. Who’s next?” Merlin asked.  
  
“Let’s leave the king for last, shall we?” Mordred said.  
  
Arthur turned around to face Mordred and pulled on the man’s trouser strings. Merlin reached over, touching Mordred’s nipple, returning that favor, he realized. A few pulls, and Mordred had spilled his seed, grunting his pleasure against Arthur’s chest.  
  
Merlin worked Arthur’s trousers open and bent down to lick his cock. Arthur arched up into his mouth. Merlin’s lips stretched, his mouth filled, but he took it in before pulling off. He licked, and sucked, swirled his tongue around Arthur’s cock the way Arthur liked. He barely noticed what Mordred was doing, but Arthur stiffened, and then spilled warm seed into his mouth, more quickly than usual. Merlin drank it down, swearing it warmed him all the way through, filling him with vigor.  
  
The three men lay, relaxed and warm, under the skimpy covers.  
  
As Merlin sank into sleep, he thought maybe there really was hope for the future.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this before 5.02 aired and I had this idea that Mordred was looking for Morgana, that he wasn't in league with her already. 5.02 blew that idea out of the water.


End file.
